Food or education? Public spending choices are never easy.

But in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, the choices are particularly stark.

The government has made "food security" - which means making sure people have enough to eat - the top priority for government spending.

Read entire article by Nils Blythe.

Women in developing countries will be the most vulnerable to climate change, a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned.

The agency said there was a disproportionate burden on those women and called for greater equality.

They do most of the agricultural work, and are therefore affected by weather-related natural disasters impacting on food, energy and water, it said. Read full article from BBC.

NKAYA, 11 September 2009 (IRIN) - Degradation of the environment is reaching alarming levels in Nkaya in southern Malawi, where people have to walk ever greater distances to collect firewood and water. Mayi Chambo, a village head in Nkaya, blamed charcoal makers for the deforestation. This is her story.